Barry’s Downtown Prime
•
Vintage Vegas glamour ranges from wild to whimsical. It’s part of what makes our town special. At Barry’s Downtown Prime, you get both. You can gulp down a madeira poured through a bone marrow luge, or you can toast a marshmallow on a mini flame offered with tableside campfire s’mores. Although the massive space greets the diner with glitzy gold accents and red velvet opulence, the service is unpretentious. From entrance to exit, you’ll feel like a VIP next to some serious VIPs. On any night, you might see an ex-president or a heavyweight fighter, even a recent Stanley Cup champion. And although you might not be an Oscar winner, a manager or even one of the four owners will touch your table at some point, say hello, and hand you a glass of bubbly. Two of the owners, chef Barry Dakake and Yassine Lyoubi, were a key part of the original
Palms’ N9NE Steakhouse, a superstar restaurant that feted the biggest celebrities and most beautiful people of the time. They’ve re-created that “see and be seen” space at their Circa spot, but in this version, the hospitality is also hyperlocal. They get frequent repeat guests and host industry people regularly because they remember you and what you like. “Our sequence of service is written and followed in a way to anticipate our guests’ every need,” Lyoubi says. “All while making them feel at home.” The servers and food runners are always scanning the tables, looking for any signal that you may need another pour of wine or another side of their decadent lobster mac ‘n’ cheese. It’s service with a sense of urgency, but not oversolicitous. And that’s the kind of nuance that only seasoned hospitality professionals understand. There are probably too many steakhouses in Las Vegas, but crave-worthy meat, OG elegance, and a welcoming local vibe only converge at this one. – LBM
D E S E R T C O M PA N I O N
BARRY'S: COURTESY CIRCA; NAXOS: ANTHONY M A I R / C O U R T E S Y S TAT I O N C A S I N O S
Excellence in Service and Management
| 88 | R E S TA U R A N T AWA R D S